The Romance
by Paige Collins
Summary: Ron and Hermione romance. Okay, so this isn't romantic right now (it's a bit...violent?) Supposed to be humor first, but it made itself into a romance fic. Everyone is off characrer, I know...man, I got to go to bed...I keep hearing something...
1. Default Chapter Title

The Romance  
By: Paige Collins  
  
  
  
Harry Potter felt as though that day he was living out right then had to be the most worst and boring day of his entire life. Besides the fact that Snape was being extra evil (Harry promised he saw his eyes go red when Neville made a mistake) and besides the fact that Professor McGonagall had told him off for goofing off with Ron instead of paying and besides the fact that the day wasn't as pleasurable and enjoyable as he had planned it to be,  
it was averge day and no really exciting-lets-kill-Harry-Potter-I'm-a-former-Death-Eater adventures. That made the day veeery boring indeed.  
Harry sat back in the comfy armchair in the common room and the visions of homework swirled before his eyes. He put his hands over his face. He felt the whole day had been hopeless.  
"Tons of homework," complained Ron suddenly, plopping down in an armchair beside Harry. "I don't think I'll ever be done...how about you, Hermione?"  
Hermione, Harry had noticed, was seated a seat down from Ron. She grunted, but she didn't look up and continued to write furiously.  
Ron sighed. "Best get on it, like Hermione over."  
Hermione grunted again, not in response to Ron's comment, but a grunt of anger and he heard her quill hit the parchment hard and she grunted again. "I'll have to start over," she muttered to herself. "Messed up..."  
Ron raised an eyebrow. "And we haven't even started...hey, Hermione? Can I have yours to start off?"  
Hermione frowned. "It's messed up."  
"I don't care...I'll fix it," said Ron.  
Hermione looked at him for a moment, then handed it to him. "I left something really important out," she said, as though it was a warning.  
Ron ignored her as he examined the parchment. He frowned like Hermione had. "Hermione...you left out a word. A word. Well, gee, that's a huge mess up."  
"Hahaha," said Hermione sarcastically. "At least I've started it. You haven't even taken anything out yet. When will you learn to do things for yourself and stop depending on me for everything?"  
"I don't depend on you for everything," Ron said angrily.   
Hermione pointed at the parchment in Ron's hand. "Um, what do you call that, Ron, then?"  
Ron looked down at it, and tossed it aside. "Better now? I'm working on it myself now, seeing as it would so deeply please you."  
Hermione shrugged. "It doesn't please me, but you shouldn't depend on someone else for everything. What if you were doing something important and you depended on Harry to bring something and he forgot it?"  
Ron didn't say anything, but turned to Harry and said, "You'd do that?"  
Hermione groaned. "Ron, that isn't the point. The point is that you should take repsonsiblity for some things and not shove everything on someone else."  
"But you didn't say shove everything off on someone else," said Ron. "You said not to depend on everyone."  
"It's basically the same point," said Hermione.  
"Is not."  
"It is too, Ron, you're being childish."  
"I'm not being childish. And it is not."  
"See? You are too being childish."  
"And you are confusing things."  
"I am not confusing things!"  
Harry cleared his throat suddenly and very loudly. Neither Ron nor Hermione heard him or they pretended they didn't.  
"Well, at least I don't go nosing around in other people's business and at least I keep to my own business, unlike some people and I won't say any names, Hermione."  
"I am not nosing around in other people's business, Ron."  
"Oh, I supposed you're just curious all those times before we were friends? Face it, you're a bossy little know-it-all."  
Hermione suddenly looked very serious. "Is that the way you want it, Ron Weasley? Well, two can play at that game." And then she whirled around and walked up to the girls' dormitories.  
"Gee, what's gotten into her?"  
Harry shrugged.  
  
  
  
As Harry had suspeted, things hadn't cleared up by that night. Ron, after they'd gone into their dorm, kept cursing about Hermione under his breath where Harry couldn't hear, but he said it a little loud.  
"Stupid know-it-all," he muttered, punching the nearest object: a pillow. He punched it very hard.  
"What's wrong?" asked Seamus. "Is he mad or something?"  
"...right I'm mad..." muttered Ron quite angrily. "I mean, who does she think she is? She isn't any better than I am, that's for sure. She's nothing but a little..." (the next things he said caused Neville to automatically say "Ron!")  
And then Ron stormed out of the dorm and down into the dark common room.  
"Gee...I've never seen him so mad," said Neville.  
Harry had never seen Ron so mad either.  
"Must of gotten into a fight with someone," observed Dean. "Wonder who, though."  
"He's mad at Hermione," said Harry with a slight sigh. "He called her a name..."  
"Not any worse than what he just called," Seamus muttered. "Nothing could be worse than what he just called her."  
"What happened?" asked Dean.  
"Well, like I just said, he called her name and all this and she goes, 'Ron Weasley, is that how you want it?' Or something like that."  
"That's not so bad," said Neville. "Not something he should really be mad about."  
"But she looked really, really mad at him, though. She said he shouldn't depend on other people for things. He wanted to copy her report," he added, explaining why he had said that. "And he got mad about everything. Kinda silly, if you ask me."  
"And we didn't ask you," said a voice.  
Harry looked up to see that Ron had come back. "Guess what Hermione has done? Just guess what Hermione has done?"  
"We could never guess," said Harry.  
Ron ignored him. "I'll tell you what she did! I came down and there she was, burnign some parchment. I asked what she was burning and she told me none of my business. So I grabbed it from her and even though it was burned, I could make out what it was." He closed his eyes. "Turns out I left my report in the common room."  
"You mean..."  
"All that work was burned. So I burned a couple of things of hers."  
"Ron! You didn't!" Harry was horrified at how far Ron was carrying things.  
"I did. Her report, all her homework. I guess her perfect little grades will be ruined...I'll show her I don't have to depend on her for everything."  
Harry rolled his eyes. "Ron, is that what this is all about? Aren't you carrying this a bit far?"  
Ron was silent, perhaps thinking. "No," he said shortly. "No, I don't think I'm carrying things a bit far, but she deserves it. I'm sick of her annoying little attitude." His fists clenched. "This is it..."  
"You aren't going to kill her, are you?!" cried Neville wildy.   
Ron unclenched his fist. "No, Neville, don't be stupid."  
Neville looked down, hurt. "You are carrying things a bit far," he said quietly, brave. "Why don't you apologize?"  
"I will when she does," he answered.  
"That's stupid, Ron," said Seamus bluntly. (He was always blunt.)   
"It is not," said Ron. "She also hit me."  
"Did you hit her back?" asked Dean eagerly.  
"No," said Ron miserably. "She was too quick."  
  
  
  
And things didn't improve that following morning. Hermione arrived at breakfast with a very aggravated look on her face. She sat by Harry, across from Ron and was silent.  
"So," said Ron.  
"So? So what?"  
Ron frowned angrily at her. "So nothing."  
"So why'd you say 'so'?"  
"Cause I felt like it, that's why! Do you have to have a logical explaination for everything, Hermione, is it because you're such a little know-it-all, is that it?"  
"Don't forget Mudblood, Weasley," said a drawling, cold voice behind them. They all whipped around to see that Draco Malfoy, who had been passing the Gryffindor table, was standing there. He was wearing an evil grin.  
"You watch that hole in your ugly face you call a mouth!" barked Ron, standing up. Then he blushed. "I mean...I mean, I totally agree. I did forget Mudblood."  
But he looked uncomfortable.  
"Standing up for Granger, are you? Got yourself a girlfriend?" he said, looking down at him as though he was a thing stuck to the bottom of his shoe.  
"I most certainly do not have a girlfriend," spat Ron. "She is not my girlfriend, hear me, Malfoy?"  
But Malfoy merely waved his hand idly in front of his face. "Whatever you say, Weasley, whatever you say."  
And then he swept around and walked back to the Slytherin table, beckoning some to pull in closer and he began to whisper furiously. He was looking directly at Ron.  
And Ron sat down. "The nerve of him," he muttered. "The nerve." Then he looked around furiously. "Where is Hermione, anyway?"  
Harry jerked his head. Ron caught a glimpse of Hermione, running out with her face buried in her hands, tears falling through her fingers.  
  
  
  
"She keeps looking at me as though I'm going to kill her or something," Ron whispered, as Hermione eyed him evilly across the room. She kept shaking her head, her eyes glittering evilly.  
"You called her a Mudblood," said Harry. "No wonder she's upset, Ron. That was a bit too far, too."  
"She deserves it," said Ron bitterly. "She is too a Mudblood."  
Harry shot Ron a furious look, but he didn't notice it. Snape was moving closer to them now, examing their potions that they had made earlier. Harry knew he and Ron would be told off, for Ron had spent most of the time looking at Hermione or not paying attention.  
"Tsk, tsk, tsk," said a cold voice suddenly. Harry looked up to see Snape was right there. He'd never heard him come over. "This is the wrong color." Then he looked at Ron. Ron was looking at Hermione, mouthing rude words at her.  
"Weasley!" he barked.  
Ron jumped and blushed. "Yes, Professor?"  
"Is there something the class should know?" he said softly, looking evilly at Hermione, who was trying hard to catch Ron's eye again. "Granger! Keep your eyes to yourself...and you too, Weasley."  
Ron looked angrily at Snape, who glided away as silent as he came.  
  
  
  
Things never cleared up all day long. Harry felt like the whole situation was hopeless. Ron suddenly, in the last hour, expected Ron to take his side and Hermione had tried to meet with Harry after class a few times, and once she caught him, all she said was really rude and mean things about Ron.  
He thought about all this as he said the password to the Fat Lady. ("Fairy dust.") He thought maybe he'd meet Hermione and Ron in the common room and try to somehow make them make up.  
But his thoughts were shattered as piercing, evil yell reached his ears.  
"You stupid little...little..."  
"Words fail, you dear?"   
The first voice had belonged to Ron, the second Hermione. Harry didn't like the sound of either of them.  
"Well, you don't just hit people, Hermione for no good reason! Man! I need this cheek you do notice that, don't you?"  
"You want it again, Weasley?"  
"Oh, so we're on last names, are we, Granger?"  
There was a loud sound.  
"My book! Get that out of the fire right now, Weasley! Right now...stop! Stop, what the...what do you think you're doing? Fine then, just run away! Someone please get my book...please..."  
Harry entered the common room too late. There was Ron, running furiously up the stairs to the boys' dormitories. Hermione was standing there, trying to get her book out of the fire. It was only slighlty burned, but she looked extremely angry. And she was muttering, "I'll kill him...I'll kill him...I'll kill him..."  
Harry quickly walked past her and she didn't even notice him standing there. She was trying to pick up a large mess, more than likely made by Ron and the crowd that had been around them was breaking up, people very quiet.  
Harry hurried up the dorm, but he paused at the door and listened.  
WHAM!  
Something slammed against the door very loud and very suddenly and it caused Harry to jump back. "Ron?"  
"Harry? Come in... you'll never guess what Hermione did," he said bitterly as Harry entered. Harry closed the door quietly behind and noticed a large mark on the door.  
"I saw it all," he said, sitting down on his bed. "Everything. I'm sorry you're taking this so far."  
"She's started this all," he said quietly, staring off in space. "Ugh..." he let his voice out very slowly.  
"It's okay," said Harry awkwardly. "You'll make up, though, I know it. This whole thing will blow over by tomorrow morning, I know it."  
Ron nodded, although Harry thought he didn't look as though he meant it.  
  
  
  
Harry lay awake, staring at the top of his bed, his eyes wide and not in the least bit sleepy. He could hear Ron muttering in his sleep. ("Yeah...Hermione...stupid...") and he could hear the breathing of Seamus, Dean and Neville and he knew they were asleep. Only Harry wasn't sleepy.  
He sighed loudly. He heard Seamus move around a bit and he sat up and looked at him. Seamus was asleep still; he'd only rolled over.  
Harry lay back again.  
This is too far, he thought. Wonder what time it is...can't be late, I remember everyone being kind of sleepy.  
He looked over. Ron had flung his watch across the room and Harry squinted and made out "11:00."  
It wasn't too late.  
He wondered if Hagrid was still awake. More than likely. If he didn't visit him, he'd just take a loooong walk outside. Maybe it would help him sort things out...help him find out what he should do.  
I'll do that.  
Harry quietly got out of bed and groped around to find his trunk. He fished around in it for a minute or so and pulled out something: the Invisiblity Cloak.  
He slipped it on and looked back at everyone. Dean was sleeping with his mouth slightly open and Seamus was restlessly rustling around. Ron was still muttered and Neville was snoring quite loudly.  
"Good," he muttered quietly and slipped out of the room and made his way through the common room.  
He never really looked up till he was outside Hogwarts.   
The first thing he noticed as he stepped out was the way the cold, dark air from somewhere cold and dark hit his skin and the way and cold grass felt under his slippered feet. (His slippers were thin; he could feel the grass.)  
The second thing Harry noticed was how still and how quiet everything was. The only sound to be heard was the loud wind rustling the grass. Harry felt a shiver go up his spine and he made his way to Hagrid's.  
As he neared Hagrid's little, er, house, he thought about what he'd say to Hagrid. Would mention anything? Would Hagrid be mad that Harry had sneaked out in the middle of night to see him?  
Harry knocked on the door.  
There was a sound inside and then the door swung open. Hagrid stood there and his large face split into a grin. Harry felt his knees weaken from relief. "C'mon in, Harry."  
And in Harry went.  
"What are ya' doin' out at late at night?" he asked, sitting down at the table and Harry did the same. "Ya' shouldn' be wanderin' around the school this late. Might get in trouble."  
"I couldn't sleep," Harry said miserably. "I've been kind of having some, er...problems."  
"Problems?" Hagrid sounded alarmed and Harry felt relief oddly like he had felt when Hagrid had opened the door. "Is it somethin' bad?"  
"Really bad," muttered Harry. "It's Ron and Hermione. They're fighting...a lot. It happened...gee, I don't remember when it happened. But Hermione said something to Ron and Ron and got mad and so on and so forth. But it's gotten so out of hand...so out of hand Ron burned Hermione's homework and then Hermione slapped him." He sighed. "I've never seen Ron so mad."  
Hagrid nodded, listening. He sighed too. "Well, Harry, it sounds pretty bad to me. Have ya' tried talkin' to them?"  
Harry nodded. "Everything. I tried to talk to Ron, but all he wants to do is complain all the time. It's getting really quite annoying."  
"How 'bout Hermione?"  
"Same."  
Hagrid nodded again. "They'll make up, I'm sure they will. Now get back to bed, Harry and don' wander round the school all night thinkin'. Things'll be better, I'm sure."And Harry left.  
  
  
As Harry entered the common room about an hour later than he'd planned to, he heard the most horrible sound: the sound of a book hitting what sounded like a head.  
Harry paused and hid behind an armchair and watched.  
Ron was standing there, frozen, rubbing his head and a large book lay beside his feet. A very red-faced Hermione was standing there, her arm still in a throwing positon. Harry knew right off what had happened.  
"You stupid...stupid little..." Ron said, his fist clenched. He clenched and unclenched them and breathed very deep and fast.  
"Shut up!" screamed Hermione, her face growing even redder. "Just be quiet!" She threw another book at him and got him in the stomach. Ron, clutching his stomach, grabbed the book from the floor and flung it at Hermione.  
It hit her in the arm and she picked it up and swung her arm around a few good times and let it go.   
It missed Ron and skidded across the floor. It hit the chair Harry was hiding behind and Harry hoped that they didn't see him.  
"Things have gone too far," he muttered.  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
Authors Note: Sorry about it being so rushed and all. It's 11:09 right now and I'm really, really tired. I know this isn't romance, but trust me, the next part will be.  
  
  



	2. Default Chapter Title

The Romance: Part Two  
By: Paige Collins  
Authors Note: Warning: major spelling mistakes. I'm writing this in that WordPad thing and I don't believe it has a spelll check/  
  
  
  
It had been the worst weeks of Harry Potter's life. Aside from the fact that Hermione had sneaked into their dorm room the last night and scared Ron (and Hary) really bad, and that the fights hadn't stopped and Hermione seemed mad at Harry for taking Ron's side once, only because Hermione threatened to burn something of Harry's, things could have been worse.  
Worse as in Ron murdering Hermione.  
That bad, huh? Harry thought bitterly after it had been a week of all the arguing. Think they'll ever stop? You'd think they'd go after each other with knives any day now.  
And Ron was obviously feeling the same way about the whole situation, because he had spent the entire day sitting by Harry, staring malicously over at Hermione, who stared malicously back at him.   
"She's looking at me again," said Ron suddenly, snapping Harry out of his thoughts about the day. Harry tried to ignore Ron, but he found his eyes wondering over to Hermione, who was mouthing something rude at Ron.  
Harry rolled his eyes. "She isn't really doing anything to you, Ron."  
"She's staring at me."  
"Is that some kind of a crime or something?"  
"It's rude, that's what it is. She's being very rude."  
Harry, sick of the whole situation the past days, groaned loudly. "Ron, she's been staring at you all day long, you have been staring back. What is the big deal now?"  
"Look! Look! She's doing it again."  
"What, besides staring at you and breathing deeply?"  
Ron ignored Harry. "That." He pointed at her. "She keeps doing it."  
"Doing what? I don't see her doing anything unusual, unless that includes..." Harry fell silent. He then noticed what Hermione was doing and he was with Ron on that one, because Hermione was doing something rude.  
She had a piece of parchment held up high in the air with the words "Ron is a moron" in scratchy ink written on it and it looked as though she'd made it switch it's text every minute or so, because by the time it met Harry's eyes again, it said, "A really big moron."  
"That is a bit far," Harry admitted slowly.   
"I know," said Ron. "That's why I'm doing it too."  
"Oh, okay." Harry was silent for a second. "What?"   
"I'm writing the same thing down too," said Ron, hunched over some parchment. "Two can play at that game, she said it herself, did she not?"  
"She did, but that'll only show that she's bothering you," said Harry. "That's what she wants and if you give her what she wants, she'll do it even more and you two will never make up."  
"You're staring to sound like her," Ron said. He was silent a second, then, "Aha! Finished. Let's see her top this."  
He held up the parchment and Harry didn't get to see what it said till he showed it in his direction and Harry wasn't glad he'd seen it. Written on the parchment, in very large letters, was "Hermione is a stupid bookworm" and it flashed something else, something Harry had seen first and it wasn't something he would have repeated.  
"That's too far, Ron," said Harry. "Hermione is not...not any of that. She likes to read, yes, but she not...that."  
"You don't like my sign?" Ron asked. He set it down and stared hard at Harry. "So why are you such a peace maker suddenly? Last time we fought..." But the look Harry was giving caused him to fall silent.  
"Because this is getting on my nerves," he said shortly. "Why can't you just apologize?"  
"I will when she does," said Ron. "And she looks like as though she isn't going to any time soon."  
Harry felt a sudden rush of anger. "Ron, that's stupid! Who started the whole stupid thing anyway? They could apologize."  
"Maybe it was one of Hermione's invisible friends," said Ron thoughtfully. "It's the only friend's she's got besides us...you."  
Harry sighed. It was all hopeless. "You can't just say you're sorry about the whole thing? Is it just that hard for you?"  
"If you want us to be friends so badly, you apologize," Ron said stubbornly, bending over to pick up his sign.   
"I'm not the one fighting."  
"We aren't fighting," said Ron. "We're only mad."  
"Could of fooled me," Harry said sarcastically. He sighed deeply. "You can't just go over there and say, 'Hermione, I'm sorry for all the stuff I've said.' It's really getting on my nerves, this fighting."  
Ron didn't say anything, but then put his parchment sign down. "I...Harry, do I have to? I mean, you can't make me."  
"Right, I can't," said Harry. "But it would be best if you did and stop me from going insane over all this."  
"It isn't your business, come to think of it, Harry. You don't have to get all bent out of shape over all this," Ron said.  
"You're my friends," said Harry, "best friends. You both have taken my side, and I don't really know. You're sticking me in the middle!"  
Ron was quite silent and he sat back down, right on his sign. It ripped down the middle, but he didn't seem to notice. He seemed very deep in thought and he was looking straight in Hermione's direction, who was still flashing her parchment sign. Harry thought maybe he was plotting Hermione's demise.  
"I could go..." he muttered to himself. "I might go ever there," he said, now turned facing Harry. "Maybe just apologize for right now."  
"Why don't you?" asked Harry.  
"It'll make me seem weak," said Ron. "She'll think I back out fights easily."  
"Who cares what she thinks?" Before Harry could stop himself, the words had tumbled out of his mouth. "I mean, who cares what she thinks about that? You know you aren't...uh, weak."  
Ron smiled. "She'll probably apologize too."  
"I'm sure she will."  
Ron didn't say anything, but he got up and walked across the Gryffindor common room to the armchair where Hermione standing next and flashing her parchment sign high in the air, passing people laughing at it.  
Harry couldn't hear what they were saying, but he could watch them.  
Ron had walked over to Hermione, and said something to her. She looked oddly at him and set her sign down on the chair arm. She then shook his outstretched hand and Ron said something and Hermione suddenly looked mad. She looked pass Ron and straight at Harry, who felt quite uncomfortable suddenly. She was saying something, not taking her eyes off of Harry the whole time.  
Then it happened.  
Hermione backed away from Ron, who was saying something at the time and pointing at Harry. Leave me out, please. He was now pointing furiously at Harry and mouthing something that looked at heck of a lot like, "Leave Harry out! He's only trying to make peace!" And their voices carried over to where Harry was, too.  
"Yeah, Ron, whatever! Harry probably only did that because he doesn't like me! No, no, I don't...like what, Ron?"  
"Hermione...please...no...no, not that, not that. He only said that...I wanted to do it too, I did! I'm not cause he, yes I agree, it isn't his business, but you're even nosier...!"  
"Ron, don't say that! What if...like Harry would do that, Ron, gee, you're being ridiculous now."  
You're both being ridiculous.  
Then Harry didn't hear Ron's or Hermione's voice anymore, but Hermione had moved closer to Ron and she was yelling hard, saying nothing in particular and was quite red in the face and so was Ron and it looked as though his whole head was red.  
WHAM!  
The sound carried over to where Harry was and it caused him to jump very high. His eys instantly darted back to Hermione and Ron, and Ron was clutching the side of his face: Hermione had slapped him and she was now making her way back up to the girls' dormitories.  
Ron made his way back to Harry, clutching his face with a large mark across his face, his eyes tearing from pain. "She hit me! She hit me, do you believe that...that..." he called her the name he had on his parchment sign. "I didn't even touch her!"  
Harry was shaking his head.  
  
  
  
It was around three hours after Ron had been attacked by Hermione and his face was till red, not from anger but from the slap. He had been clutching it for a while and every time someone said Hermione's name, his eyes flashed evilly.  
"I can't believe she did that," said Seamus Finnigan after he'd heard the story from Ron, which was exagerrated to the extent to where Hermione had attempted to burn his face off.  
"I don't either," Ron said. "It still hurts and it was hours ago. I hope she get's what's coming to her soon, because if she doesn't, I'll make sure she does."  
Harry lay back on his bed suddenly as Ron suddenly plunged into the story as Dean Thomas and Neville Longbottom entered the room, with another twist. ("She had me in the fire...") and Harry was quite sick of hearing the story.  
Wonder how many more times he's going to tell that story before he gets it right, Harry thought as he heard Ron change the sign part to where he got a miniature airplane to spell out the letters and Seamus was so wrapped up in the new story he didn't realize Ron had changed anything.  
She didn't even say that. Harry closed his eyes as he listened to Ron's story, which was coming to an end. He had this sudden vision of Ron and Hermione in the common room, Hermione had a good hold of Ron's red hair and was shoving his head into the fire, and he was screaming and she was laughing evilly.  
He laughed quietly to himself and rolled over and before Harry knew it, he was asleep.  
  
  
"NO! NO!" screamed Hermione, running away. "Not Harry! Don't kill Harry! Please not Harry, kill me, not Harry!"  
"Stand aside, now," said someone.  
Harry looked and saw Ron standing there, his wand out and it was pointed at Hermione. He didn't look like Ron, though. He looked older, somewhat like he would look like he would in the future, perhaps.  
And, come to think of it, Hermione wasn't Hermione. Her brown hair was longer and she was grown up, and she was clutching a baby, a small baby with dark hair that looked jet-black.   
"Move aside," he said.  
Hermione was crying now, clutching the baby. "Not Harry, don't kill Harry! Please not Harry!"  
Ron laughed and moved back and stumbled over someone and grabbed at the wall. Harry looked closely and saw that he had tripped over a man with red hair lying face down on the floor. He was looking up, his eyes un-blinking and he looked surprised. Harry saw that he was dead, not by the obvious fact that he wasn't breathing, but he was still, and pale.  
The face was the same face as Ron.  
It was Ron.  
Ron was the killer...and Ron was also dead.  
Harry felt a cold shiver go down his spine. It wasn't cold, but something about the whole scene felt vaguley familair. It was also quite creepy that older Hermione kept calling the baby "Harry."  
"Stand aside, you silly girl, stand aside," he said idly, kicking at the dead Ron lying on the floor. "Stand aside."  
"Please don't kill Harry," begged Hermione. She backing into a corner, panic across her face, still clutching the baby. She held him farthest to the wall, away from Ron.  
"Move aside."  
"NO! NO! I WON'T! KILL ME! DON'T KILL HARRY!"  
Ron looked angry. He raised his wand and his cold eyes flashed malicously. "Avada Kedav...huh?" He stopped saying what he was saying, and was staring at the dead Ron, who was, unmistakably, breathing.  
"He's supposed to be dead," he muttered, as dead Ron closed his eyes and the color returned to his cheeks and his chest rose up and down.  
"Supposed to," said dead Ron, without opening his eyes. "But I'm not."  
"But you're supposed to be dead!" cried evil Ron, backing away. "You aren't supposed to move, you aren't supposed to live, you aren't supposed to breathe!"  
"But I am," said dead Ron, opening his eyes. He got to his feet and stood in front of Hermione. "You won't kill her no sooner than you'll kill Harry. You'll have to kill me first to kill either of them."  
"Impossible," muttered evil Ron, backed up against the wall. "I already killed you. You can't...you can't be alive."  
"But I am."  
  
  
  
Harry woke suddenly, looking around to see what had awoken him so suddenly from a most interesting dream.   
There was nothing there, but he must have been asleep a long time, because he could see it was 3:00 on Ron's watch he hadn't bothered to pick up yet and he, Seamus, Dean and Neville were all asleep. Neville was snoring loudly.  
"Weird dream," muttered Harry quietly, lying his head back on his pillow and go over the events from his dream. It was one of those dreams you remember perfectly one minute, then the next they're lost somewhere. Harry concentrated till he got little snatches of everything.   
But the whole dream felt vaguley familiar.  
Then it all came rushing back to him. The whole night dream...it sounded like the night...the night his parents died, only it was Ron and Hermione.  
"Weird twist."  
He got up and discovered he was still in his clothes, but his already untidy hair was even more untidy.   
He sat back down and rubbed his eyes. No use going back to bed, he was already wide awake. Maybe he could go down into the common room for a couple of hours, just to think about everything...like the dream.  
He pulled out something...the Invisibility Cloak and slipped it on and he quietly made his way down to the common room, which was dark and still, except for a figure sitting by the fire, which was no more than a small spark.  
It was Hermione.  
She looked as though she had been crying, her eyes were red and tears were shining brightly in them. Harry wondered why.  
"Hermione?"  
Hermione jumped at the sound of Harry's voice. She looked around wildly, he wand in her hand. "Who's there? Who is it? Is it Ron?"  
"No...it's Harry," said Harry. He took off the cloak and set it down in the nearest chair. "I couldn't sleep, odd dream. It woke me up." He sat by Hermione. "So, what's wrong?"  
Hermione jerked a bit. "Nothing..." she said and to Harry's amazment, she blushed. "It's nothing. I'm just a bit sad over the whole thing."  
"I can imagine," said Harry. It was all he could think to comfort Hermione. "I had a bad dream...nightmare, really."  
"Really?" Hermione leaned closer. "What was it all about?"  
Harry gulped. Could he tell her about his dream...could he? "It was about...about...about the night my parents died. It was twisted, I'll tell you that, the whole dream was really twisted."  
"Oh..." she said. "Oh, Harry, I'm sorry."  
Harry shrugged. "It's okay, really. Just a little...scary, sad. It was really twisted...I could see Dad on the floor, dead and Mum was clutching me in the corner and Voldemort was closing in..." Harry stopped, thinking he'd said too much and shuddered. "I don't really want to talk about it anymore."  
"We won't then," said Hermione.  
"So why are you down here, all by yourself?"  
Hermione blushed harder than she had earlier. Then she grew serious, still blushing. "It's okay...I'm just upset. Was Ron mad?"  
Harry was surprised at this. "Kind of. Why'd you slap him, Hermione?"  
Hermione looked away slowly. "Because...because...he makes me so mad, Harry, some times I'm just so mad at him and some times..."  
"Some times?"  
"I'm...I'm not mad at him," she said quickly. She got up to her feet. "It's nothing, really, nothing. I'm going back up to bed, quite late you know."  
And Hermione disappeared up the way to the girls' dormitories.  
  
  
  
"I'm mad at her," said Ron. It was right after dinner and Harry was very busy telling Ron all about everything that had been going on while he had been asleep.  
"I know that," said Harry impatiently, waving his hand idly. "What surprised me was what she said, 'I'm...I'm not mad at him.' Isn't that a bit odd to you, Ron? Ron? Ron, what are...oh."  
Harry followed Ron's angry eyes across the Gryffindor common room, where he watched Hermione crawl in. She caught his eye and gave him a look of pure anger.  
"She's evil," Ron informed Harry suddenly. "Pure evil. I mean, look at the way...no, no, she is not coming...no, she's sitting by the fire. Good. I hope she gets burned."  
"Ron!"  
"Well, I do hope she is burned. If she does happen to catch on fire and survive, she'll more than likely spend some time in the hospital wing and wouldn't that be happy thought?" Ron sighed.  
"That is a bit far, don't you think?" asked Harry, watching Hermione glance at Ron.  
"What?"  
"Noth...all right, the whole situation."  
"That makes what, a hundred times you've said that?"  
"Ron, I'm serious."  
"Guess what? Surprise! So am I."  
"Ron."  
"Harry."  
Harry sighed. "Ron...you aren't cooperating. This is going too far, if you haven't figured that out by now."  
"I think I have, Harry," sighed Ron. "I think I have. I mean...look. Look at her. She's just watching me, watching me. Looking over her chair, reading. Looking over her chair, reading."  
"Isn't that a bit paranoid?"  
"No."  
Harry was getting angry. "You can't go on like this all week. It should end right here, right now."  
"Or it shouldn't," said Ron, beginning to look angry. "It really isn't any of your business, is it?"  
"Oh, so you're mad at me now?"  
"No, only aggravated," said Ron. "Look, she's doing it again. And you know what?"  
"No, Ron, I don't know what."  
"She's not really reading."  
"Well, she isn't," Harry said sarcastically. "Ron, she isn't really hurting you."  
"She's hurting my feeling, if anything."  
"Your feeling, but will that kill you Ron. No. Gee."  
"It might kill me if I commit suicide, yeah, then it would." Ron was silent. "But that's stupid."  
"Can't..."  
"No."  
"Fine."  
"Hmph."  
"Hmph."  
And Harry walked up to the boys' dormitories.   
  
  
  
"Hey," said a voice.  
Harry ignored the voice, figuring it was Ron, or Neville, Dean or Seamus.  
"Harry!"  
Harry looked up to see Ron standing in the doorway with a very excited look across his face. "Harry!"  
"What?"  
"I can't explain, oh, Harry...this is great!" His eyes darted from left to right and he walked into the room and quietly shut the door.  
"What is it?"  
Ron looked nervous. There was sudden noise outside and he jumped. "Look...I'll tell you everything later tonight. Get Hermione to come down in the common room at midnight tonight. I'll explain everything before then, okay?"  
Harry had no idea whether he was to say okay or what. He shrugged. "I'll get her, I guess." He was silent for a moment. "You aren't going to hurt her, are you?"  
Ron waved his hand in front of his face. "Minor details."  
Harry must of looked horrified, because Ron said, "Only joking, Harry, only joking."  
  
  
  
Harry must have said to himself at least a hundred times what he was going to say to Hermione. He didn't even know why he was asking Hermione to meet in the common room at midnight and he had a bad feeling it had something to do with Ron and revenge.  
He had watched her sit over by the fire, looking deeply invovled in a book entitled something about romance. Harry felt like this wasn't something Hermione usually read.  
He had pictured the conversation at least a hundred times. It went like this:  
  
  
Harry: Hermione...hello.  
Hermione: Harry, Harry, Harry. Have a seat?  
Harry: Not this time Hermione. Business.  
Hermione: (frowns) Oh, business.  
Harry: Very...er, personal business.  
Hermione: Oh, personal business. What kind of personal business?  
Harry: The kind the involves a certain...brown haired girl.  
Hermione: (acts surprised) Is that so?  
Harry: Yes. (looks around) Seems that I have been asked to ask you to meet in the common room at midnight tonight.  
Hermione: Oh, is that so? I've been asked to come to the common room? And at midnight tonight?  
Harry: Things seem to have been said that way.  
Hermione: Then...common room at midnight tonight it is, if something doesn't happen? (Laughs)  
Harry: (laughs too, rather nervously) Yeah...  
  
  
It was something like that, though. But Harry doubted Hermione would sound like that. And finally, he was gaining the courage to ask her. He didn't know why he was nervous.  
He got up from his chair and made his way across the common room, to the chair where Hermione was sitting.   
She saw his shadow and she looked up and said, (rather coldly) "Hello."  
Harry sighed. "Um, Hermione?"  
"What?"  
"I need to ask you a question."  
"If it has anothing to do with Weasley, I don't want to answer it."  
"Actually, it has nothing to do with Ron."  
Hermione blushed. "Oh. Then, ask away."  
"Okay." Harry lowered his voice. "Um...I wanted to ask you something. Can you...can you meet me in the common room at midnight tonight?"  
Hermione was silent for a moment. Then, "Why?"  
Harry felt a shiver go through his chest. "Uh, um...I wanted to, er, talk."  
Hermione eyed him suspicously. "Talk, huh? We're talking now, aren't we?"  
"Now...but it's rather personal."  
Hermione blushed again. "P-personal? How personal are we talking, Harry?"  
Harry was silent now. He, actually, had no idea what was going on. "Not too personal. Just about...relationships and stuff."  
"Like what kind?"  
"Like friendship."  
"Friendship? This better have nothing to do with Weasley (not that I'm his friend)..."  
"Oh. Oh! Nothing to do with Ron. Just friendship."  
"Rather odd topic, wouldn't you say?"  
And Harry almost said, "Ron thought it up" but he stopped himself and said, "Yeah, kind of. I guess."  
And he ran back to their dorm to tell Ron about everything.  
  
  
"She...she's going to come?" asked Ron, holding his hands together with pleasure.  
"Yeah. She has no idea. I almost feel sorry for her...sure this won't hurt her?"  
"Yeah. I'm sure."  
Harry had ran back to Ron almost immediatly and told him about the whole converstion and then he learned why he had to ask her. Ron had planned this...Harry didn't know what it was, but it was something that would trap a person in a little prison. Harry had no idea why Ron would want to do that, but before he could ask, he forgot to ask.  
"What won't hurt her?"  
Harry looked up to see Dean, Seamus and Neville had just walked in and Seamus had overheard them.  
Ron cursed loudly.  
"Nothing, Seamus," said Harry nervously. "It's nothing."  
"If it's going to hurt someone, Ron, maybe we should know," Neville said.  
"It isn't going to hurt anyone, Neville, okay?"  
"But we want to know now."  
And Ron told them. He didn't look to happy, but he made them promise they wouldn't tell a soul. And the first question asked was by Seamus.  
"Why do you want to do that?"  
"Because...because I want to, all right?" He got up. "I'm going to bed, okay? Harry, wake me up when it's midmight."  
"Hey...how come I have to stay up?"  
Ron shrugged. "Because I put the spell thingy on it."  
And he fell asleep.  
  
  
Harry had never felt more tired in his entire life. His eyes keep seeming to want to close, and once he fell asleep for fifteen minutes, but he quickly awoke.  
It was hard work.  
Harry had taken Ron's watch and was watching it, counting off the minutes. It had just turned 11:11, and Harry fell back on his pillow,struggling to stayn awake another hour. Then he got an idea. He would write a letter to keep himself awake...Sirius would probably want to hear about everything.  
So Harry took out a quill and parchment.  
  
Dear Sirius,  
How are things going? Things aren't going too good here. Ron and Hermione got into this huge fight, and it's ended in Ron trying to hurt Hermione. I mean, I think he's going to try to hurt her, but I don't know what to do. It just turned 11:11 and I we're going down to the common room at 12:00. I already told Hermione to meet down there, and she is. She'll be furious if we don't show up, I'm sure she will be.  
Harry.  
  
  
That was Harry's letter. It took him no more than five minutes to write it and he folded it up. He would send it later, it was too late then. He would have to do it.  
And the hour would go on with him worrying about the whole situation.  
  
  
  
It was 11:47 when Harry felt he should wake Ron up. Ron had been muttering, "And ask her the question...maybe she'll like to..." Harry thought he was just having a dream.  
He crept close to Ron and shook him violently. "Ron! Ron!"  
"ARRRRRGGGGHHHHH! Hermione, where is she? Where is she?"  
"Calm down! Calm down!" Harry whispered frantically. "You were only having a bad dream, I think."  
Ron took a deep breath. He sat up. "Oh, man, it was horrible. I was asking Hermione to marry me. How sickening." He shuddered. "Time already?"  
"Not exactly. It's...11:51 now, ten minutes before, but I felt I should wake you up."  
Ron smiled. "Show time, Harry," he whispered. "Why don't you get dressed and go down into the common room?"  
And Harry got dressed.  
"See you later," he whispered and he quietly made his way down to the dark and still common room, where Hermione was, waiting for him.  
She smiled a bit when she saw him. "Hello, Harry."  
"Hello, Hermione."  
He was silent. Then he took a seat next to Hermione. "Um...there's something I forgot to mention."  
Hermione frowned. "What?"  
"Ron wants to, er, come."  
Hermione suddenly stood up. "No, no. If...if...he...Weasley is going to be here, I am not staying."  
"He's not coming, Hermione. He's...he just wanted to come."  
Hermione sat down. "In that case..."  
Someone suddenly cursed very loudly.  
"Who was that?"  
"No idea...I'll check to see though, stay here."  
"But I don't..."  
"Stay."  
And Harry ran up the boys' dormitories, leaving Hermione with a "what am I, a dog?" look on her face.  
He bust into the dorm room and saw Ron with his pants on his head. "Was that your idea of a signal?"  
"No...my nose is stuck in my zipper...okay, I got it."  
"Are you ready?"  
Ron sat down and put his shoes on. "I am now."  
"You can use my Invisiblity Cloak. Now, where am I going to be again?"  
"Right outside."  
"Right...outside? Was that what it was earlier?"  
Ron shrugged. "No idea. I forgot. Just get her out there, okay?"  
"Okay."  
Harry thundered (quietly) back down to see a scared Hermione sitting all alone. "Harry! Who was it?"  
"Er...Ron was back asleep and he was cursing in his sleep."  
Hermione giggled and then stopped herself. "So...are we talking or what?"  
"Er...or what. It turns out...it's better if we talk outside."  
"It's cold out, Harry. It's warmer in here."  
"It's better..."  
"Why? Why is it better?"  
Harry froze. "Because it is," he said nervously. "Just come on, out in front of Hogwarts. Just out there for a moment, come on Hermione."  
Hermione was very quiet. "Not a chance, Harry. Besides...it's cold."  
"I know that already. Just do it, Hermione."  
Hermione stared at Harry. "How are we getting there, huh?"  
"I'll figure that out in a moment. Are you going to or not? Come on."  
"All right...but I'm going to kill..."  
But she fell silent because Harry had grabbed Hermione's wrist and before either of them knew it, they were outside.  
  
  
"Harry...are you aware it's cold. Don't you notice the cold?"  
"Could go naked out here and not notice," replied Harry sarcastically. "Stop complaing...come over here...no, over here."  
"Why? Isn't here warmer?"  
"Shut up and come on." He grabbed her wrist like he had earlier and lead her to the left. "No, this way. Stay here."  
"I'm not a dog, Harry."  
"I know. I've noticed that too." Harry looked over in the bushes, where Ron was. He'd taken the cloak off, but he was at an angle where Hermione couldn't see him, but Harry could. He was mouthing to Harry, "Move! Move!"  
Harry began to walk away. "I've got to move away from here, Hermione."  
"To talk?!" Hermione cried. "Harry, you're...you're being creepy."  
"Sorry." He backed away to the bushes where Ron was and Ron stood up.  
"Weasley!"  
"Granger...Granger...pleasent surprise, no?"  
"No, it isn't a very pleasent surprise." She turned her furious eyes on Harry. "What is going on here?"  
"Huh? Why me?"  
Hermione groaned. "You're obviously going to tell me the truth. I want the truth: what. Is. Going. On."  
And to everyone's surprise, Ron laughed. No evilly, but pleasently. "I'm doing this all for you, Hermione. All for you. See, in around, oh, a few seconds, a very powerful and advanced cage will come over you. You can't escape and if you try to do so, you'll be shocked."  
Hermione snorted. "No, really, what's going on?"  
"That is what's going on."  
"Oh..."  
"Yeah...oh..." Ron clapped his hands together. "I've been practicing this one for a looong time. Was going to try it on Malfoy...but Granger..." He took his wand from his pocket and pointed it towrds the sky. He took a deep breath and roared something. Harry didn't catch what he said, but Ron was instantly struck by this brillant blue lighting and it jerked his whole body and his wand pointed to the aread where Hermione was and a large, glowling, bright blue cage shimmered around her.  
"So you were telling the truth," Hermione said nervously. "How...unfortunate."  
"Quite."  
He walked around her bright blue oval cage, looking at it. "Been practing this one since we were in our third year. Quite nice, wouldn't you think?"  
"Not very, seeing as I am inprisoned in it."  
Harry was very surprised to see how calm Hermione was. Perhaps, he thought, she knew a way out.  
"Know a way out, Granger? There is no way out. Only the owner can open the cage and maybe he can't."  
"WHAT?"  
"Hahaha. I'm only kidding, Hermi...Granger."  
"This isn't going to kill me, is it?" whispered Hermione.  
"Maybe, maybe not."  
"TELL ME!"  
"NO!" Ron rushed to the cage, but kept in a safe distance. "No! I won't tell you. You'll listen to me and we'll all get out here safely..."  
"You're mad!" screamed Hermione. "MAD!" She ran and grabbed a bright blue bar. She shook and bit and fell to the ground.  
"Like that, Hermione?" cried Ron. "I'm not mad...only mad as in angry mad. You'll listen to me..." he said a curse word and lowered his face close to the cage. "Or one of us won't come out alive."  
"You wouldn't kill me!"  
"I wouldn't?"  
"You..."  
"You were going to kill me something?" He laughed. "Hermione..." he came closer to the cage. "This is a bit far, I know, but it's the only way you'll listen to me and I have the most important thing to say that you may ever hear. So...please...listen to me. And I'm not going to kill you."  
Hermione was quiet. "I'll listen...if you let me out."  
"I'll let you out if you listen."  
Hermione thought for a moment. "Okay."  
Ron nodded and walked from her cage and began to pace. "Hermione...ever since our first year...I've kind of, sort of, liked you. Not as a friend..."  
"Oh, my..."  
"...and I always couldn't find the right words. And these past days we've been fighting, I've been trying to...stop, but I couldn't find the words. Hermione...this is my apology. All this." He spread this arms wide in front of him. "My way of apologizing. I couldn't find the words...maybe, I thought, I could express it through this."  
"You did...all this for me?"  
Ron nodded, and seemed like he couldn't find the right words and then, he said it, in a small whisper. "I'm sorry, Hermione."  
Hermione was silent. Then she walked to the cage and (careful not to touch the bars) she said, "I'm sorry too, Ron Weasley. I'm really very sorry."  
Ron smiled. "Good...now I'll take that down..."  
He backed up to where Harry was, gave him a cheerful wink and yelled something.  
The first thing Harry noticed was that the ground rumbled and shook. Little pebbles near his feet shook and bounced and Ron noticed this too, but he also noticed something much more fightening that the pebbles: from where it seemed, a large blue bar was begninning to fall and Hermione didn't see it.  
"HERMIONE!"  
It all happened in a flash.  
The bright blue cage shook and rumbled and began to crumble around a screaming Hermione. She had no chance of surving anything.  
"I knew that spell wasn't going to work," muttered Ron, horrified, frozen and he looked like he didn't know what to do. Neither did Harry and both of them stood back and watched the blue cage crumble above Hermione.  
CRACK!  
A blinding flash! A scream!  
Harry jumped in the bushes and caught a flash of Ron, running towards the oval cage and he closed his eyes. He knew Hermione wouldn't survive.  
He sat there for what seemed like hours till he heard Ron screaming, "Harry! Harry."  
Harry looked up and saw Ron running up to him, carrying Hermione, limp in his arms and he saw beyond them the cage, which looked like a bunch of long light bulbs turned off. They weren't even blue anymore.  
"Is she...dead?"  
Ron ran over and set Hermione down, her bushy brown hair messed up. "Nope. Only knocked out. Didn't seem to get there in time." He knelt beside her. "Hermione? Hermione...are you all right?"  
Hermione was silent. Then, "Ron?"  
"Hermione?"  
"Ron...is this Heaven? Am I...an angel?"  
"No." Ron took Hermione's hand. "You're alive, Hermione, open your eyes."   
Hermione opened her eyes and stared into the starry sky. "Oh, oh, Ron! I thought I was going to die!"  
"You aren't the only one," muttered Harry, but the looked Ron had on his face silenced him. He felt this wasn't the time to make jokes.  
"Hermione...are you all right?"  
Hermione smiled weakly. "I'm all right...and I'm not an angel?" She sighed and looked around. "This isn't Heaven?"  
"You're my angel." Ron bent over and kissed Hermione's hand and before Harry knew it, Hermione had sat up and they kissed.  
  
  
To be continued...  
  
  
  
Author's Note: ::ugh:: Ewww love scene. So...I don't have a word for that love scene. Ron and Hermione aren't really...romantic. Maybe it's a bit rushed and sudden... 


End file.
